Yuffentine ABC
by TheVulpineHero1
Summary: 100 word drabbles for each letter of the alphabet, each celebrating Yuffentine. Updated by week until completed. Rating subject to change with every chapter, although none will be Mature rated.
1. A is for Allegations

_A is for Allegations

* * *

_

"You're gay, right?"

Vincent splutters into his coffee.

"I mean, come on. Long, soft hair, toned abs, tight leather trousers..."

He denies it, vehemently. How can she be so blasé about such an accusation?

She laughs and presses a finger to the tip of his nose in the gentlest possible way. It's like pressing a button, and all his anger dissipates like smoke.

"I was thinking you were too good to be true- hot _and_ single? Gotta be gay."

He tosses his jet black head.

"You're still hot, though."

Just what is she accusing him of?


	2. B is for Bombardment

_B is for Bombardment

* * *

_

Oppressive silence bows his head. Once again, his sins haunt him.

"_You could have prevented this."_  
"_If not for you, so many people would still be alive."_  
"_You almost destroyed the entire world."_

The assault of his guilt never lets up, even though he has atoned for his mistakes. He stands like a statue, weathering the storm of his own morality.

But of all the countless sins to his name, one pierces the heart he has spent so long turning into stone. One sin alone has value in that merciless barrage.

"Vincent... You're breaking her heart."


	3. C is for Catastrophe

_C is for Catastrophe

* * *

_

Their love is an accident waiting to happen. They both know this.

All it will take is a spark, a fragment of golden warmth that will ignite a maelstrom of fire. All who stand without will be in awe. The two who stand within will be at war.

Everyone knows they will clash, endlessly, but they will be together.

All it will take is a spark.

Her hand brushes his as he tries to walk past. She lets her fingers linger on his cool skin, savouring the feeling.

In one hand, she holds him.

In the other, a lighted match.


	4. D is for Destiny

_D is for Destiny

* * *

_

The board of fate is already set. The dice are loaded. The outcome has been decided.

This is what he tells her, his palms fiery hot on her bare shoulders, his quiet breath stealing her senses. He smells of anguish, of sleepless nights spent in thought.

They cannot be together. It isn't meant to be.

She captures his mouth fiercely, to stop his 'fate', his doubts, and his _god-damned _rationality. None of it matters to her.

Destiny isn't the be all and end all. It isn't some kind of inescapable doom.

To her, it's just another obstacle to be overcome.


	5. E is for Enlighten

_E is for Enlighten_

Knowing glances. Hushed laughter. Suppressed grins.

Upon the Shera, there is something that everyone but Yuffie and Vincent knows. And they are not pleased.

He reasons. She interrogates. He appeals. She rages. He despairs. She lashes out. They find nothing.

There is no one else to try, save them. They meet, filling cold air with incandescent accusation. He thinks it a prank. She thinks it a rebuttal.

But somewhere, the fury softens. Soft, quiet warmth remains. Suddenly she wraps herself around him, and he around her. Then, they realise. What everyone knew, save them.

No one said enlightenment was easy.


	6. F is for Favour

_F is for Favour

* * *

_

In the fledgeling days of their romance, he asks her for a favour. She tells him she'd do anything. He smiles, shakes his head and explains.

"A favour. A token. A piece of cloth, or a handkerchief, perhaps, that I can carry with me to remind me of you."

Her eyebrow raises. He tells her it's a knightly, chivalrous custom. She laughs, eyes twinkling, and tells him that he's a 'a dork, but a lovable dork.'

A week later, he finds a pair of her underwear tucked inside his shirt pocket. His quiet chuckle echoes around the familiar room.


	7. G is for Greatness

_G is for Greatness

* * *

_

There are many things that Yuffie Kisaragi is good at.

She hasunflinching bravery in battle. She is supple, flexible and limber, useful in dodging attacks (and in other 'activities', as she boasts to Tifa). Above all, she has passion.

There are few things Yuffie Kisaragi is bad at.

She cannot cook, or clean, or take care of other people.

He can do all these things, despite being cold and mechanical at times. He does them willingly for her.

And so she begins to learn that true greatness is not a characteristic of one, but something to be enjoyed by two.


	8. H is for Hallowed

_H is for Hallowed

* * *

_

She knows that she trespasses on sacred grounds each time she intrudes into his heart. Each time she asks him about 'her'. She knows because she can feel the sadness that leaks from every pore.

But she cannot stop. She has to know, to feel. Because she cannot (_will not_) force him to love her if his heart still belongs to another. But she _aches_ for him.

He wishes, beyond all else, that she knew. His memories of Lucrecia are sacred, and painful. But they are just memories, after all.

The most hallowed grounds in his heart belong to her.


	9. I is for Infamy

_I is for Infamy

* * *

_

They aren't allowed in restaurants anymore.

It begins slowly. She downs a glass of sherry, and another, and another. The fancy menu, littered with foreign words that mean nothing to either of them, rapidly falls apart from the steel caress of his gauntlet.

Soon, she is drunk, and the waiters are furious. So furious, they forget quite how dangerous Yuffie is when drunk.

Posters start to appear, banning them from the restaurant in question. Their faces appear side by side, forever joined in notoriety.

It's a romantic thought. But it still means one of them must learn how to cook.


	10. J is for Jovian

_J is for Jovian

* * *

_

Lightning shimmers across the sky, splitting clouds wrought in India Ink. She settles a little closer into his cloak, smelling the faint scent of cherry blossom fabric conditioner.

That smell confined him to the tempest, and confined her to solitude.

It was supposed to be a joke. She wanted him to laugh as he lifted the worn cloth from the washer. Well, she'd certainly laughed. But it choked in her throat as she saw the hurt flash in his eyes. He'd stormed out, and not returned.

She bitterly curses the mistake that drove them apart.

His cloak is now pink.


	11. K is for Kleptomania

_K is for Kleptomania

* * *

_

She does it without noticing. The apple she didn't pay for appears in her hand by its own volition, and she doesn't realise until she lifts it absently to her lips.

At home, she is worse. Her wandering hands pick up things without thought or ceremony, depositing them throughout the house like a serene whirlwind.

Nothing is safe from her thieving grasp. She snatches cards and candlesticks, lipstick and leather, shuriken and snacks.

It _should _infuriate him. But as her wandering hands fall upon the buttons of his shirt, he can't help but look forward to what she'll steal next.


	12. L is for Lackadaisical

_L is for Lackadaisical

* * *

_

Relaxing is difficult for him. For Vincent, even the word recalls cows in pastures, chewing idly whilst the world crumbles around them. His finger itches for the trigger.

She thinks it strange that someone so cold suffers from caring too much about the world around him. So she tries to teach him how to take life less seriously.

Her lessons work, somewhat, and as they paddle together in the waters of Costa Del Sol, he wonders idly whether Hojo or Yuffie's revealing swimsuit is more threatening to his sanity. She flashes a sultry grin at him.

Suddenly, it's no contest.


	13. M is for Marionette

_M is for Marionette

* * *

_

The beast is in control.

A guttural roar echoes through the forest, and Cloud draws his sword without hesitation. No monster draws near, besides _him_.

Inside the shell, Vincent howls for his friends, raging against the beast that he's sure will snuff out these bright souls that he's only just met.

And suddenly, the terror is over, and Galian Beast is on his back. The ninja -Yuffie, was it?- coos and smiles, scratching the monster's belly as she would a dog's.

Inside the animal, Vincent thinks he could be happy as a puppet, if only she were at the strings.


	14. N is for Niëss

_N is for Niëss

* * *

_

The face of her father summons only tears to trickle down her cheeks. Never before had he opposed one of her plans so vehemently. Never before had she been so determined to fight his judgement.

Never again could she return to his door.

The gunman stands in her shadow, shaded the colour of guilt. She is a princess, but he is no prince, and finds no favour in her father's eyes.

She smiles through tears. She is no longer a fledgeling, as she was the first time she flew from Wutai's nest.

This time, his arms will be her aerie.

* * *

A/N: Niëss (also spelt 'nyas', 'niesse' and 'nias') refers to a young hawk that has never flown from the aerie. It was memorably used in some editions of Romeo and Juliet.


	15. O is for Oscillation

_O is for Oscillation

* * *

_

He is not naïve. He knows the rise and fall that dictates her moods with such authority, and willingly adjusts to the flow.

He keeps this in mind as she screams at him for disposing of the packet she emptied three days ago. He doesn't point out that he can predict her moods more reliably than she can, or that he has prior experience of such matters.

It was one of few things that she shared with Lucrecia; they were both enslaved to the rhythm of nature.

He smiles at her blush, and makes a mental note.

_Buy more tampons._


	16. P is for Perfect

_P is for Perfect

* * *

_

Perfect is a word she abhors.

She understands that perfection is another word for bland. Perfection is a blank, unfolded piece of paper; flawless, but boring. Only with the defiling blackness of pen and ink can paper become more than perfect, more than bland, more than a sheet of manufactured nothingness.

Perfection, then, is not her ideal, despite her childhood training, despite the pressure to win every battle, and despite her father insisting that she should be a perfect daughter.

Perfection is not her ideal.

Her ideal is the gunman who stands at her side, and he is _not_ perfect.


	17. Q is for Questioning

_Q is for Questioning

* * *

_

Her curiosity is vast, endless and all-consuming.

She searches the closets, sifts through unopened boxes in the attic, and looks through his wardrobe. (His underwear drawer is a particular favourite).

She asks him about everything that has happened in his life, demands every aspect of his story.

Sometimes, he tells her. Sometimes, he doesn't.

Her curiosity frightens him. Part of him is scared that, once she knows all there is to know, she will become bored, and abandon him like a cat does a toy. To keep her interest, he must grow and change.

Her curiosity forces him to live.


	18. R is for Ransom

_R is for Ransom

* * *

_

The note came in the morning.

"_We have the thing you treasure most. We demand cash for its return."_

He bursts through the door, the blazing muzzle of his gun sowing panic among the captors. In seconds, he has his prize by the arm, and flees the room.

She giggles up at him, brandishing his cape. He ignores it, and presses his lips to hers.

Inside, AVALANCHE are bemused. Yuffie, the mastermind of the plan, has been taken. There are bullets in the cake. And a ripped banner dangles forlornly from the ceiling, wishing Vincent Valentine a happy birthday.


	19. S is for Serpentine

_S is for Serpentine

* * *

_

Ninja like snakes. It's because of the flowing grace of movement, the thundercrack speed of the lunge, and above all, the poison.

"_A single drop could stop the strongest heart."_

He doesn't attacked unless severely provoked. But his words fall with a belligerent hiss, and he moves slowly towards her, full of flowing power. His glare sends shivers down her spine, and she almost regrets saying the vile things she did.

His words strike with lightning speed, and he draws away swiftly. The venom stops her failing heart.

But seconds later, her heart beats anew. Love is her antidote.


	20. T is for Travellers

_T is for Travellers

* * *

_

It's a strange life. It suits them.

It suits one who is always being hunted for some misadventure or another. It suits one who, when not being hunted by the police, is hunted by hormonal teenagers.

It suits another, who has no connection to the world in which he strides. He sees and moves on, learning to see this world in colour again.

"_Take what you can."_ She's taken him, and has no regrets.

"_Home is where the heart is."_ His heart is on his back, her legs tired after a long day's travelling.

They search for peace.


	21. U is for Uniform

_U is for Uniform

* * *

_

Every day is exactly the same. He leaves for work, and she lounges. Boredom stifles a wandering mind. She eats and sleeps when she pleases, but is not satisfied.

She is unbearably, achingly tired.

She's tired of hovering by the phone, wishing he'd finally call and tell her he's coming home early. She's tired of having to share him with Reeve or Cloud or whoever's paying him this week. She's tired of being lonely, bored of being tired.

Every day is exactly the same.

And when he gets home, she's going to make damn sure to tear off his uniform.


	22. V is for Vanguard

_V is for Vanguard

* * *

_

"_The vanguard has fallen!"_

The vanguard. Cloud. Vincent.

Yuffie flies. Her heart hammers in her chest, her gut writhes, but her feet move so quickly they cannot be seen. Her tawny mane flies in her eyes, but she doesn't care. Her speed surpasses all.

But Tifa flies faster. She's no longer human, just an irresistible, driving force. All falls away before her gaze.

As the vanguard recovers, Yuffie wonders why she was slower than Tifa. Doubt burns, and she seeks a metal hand for solace.

She forgets that she stopped to tear the fool who dared harm him asunder.


	23. W is for Wasteful

_W is for Wasteful

* * *

_

She has no social graces, he knows. Nevertheless, her behaviour at the ball has hurt his pride- or is it his heart?

_He bows, to brush his lips with her hand. She sees his intentions, and recoils, pulling her hand away. Someone gasps. Vincent flees with silent dignity._

She creeps up to him, crowds buzzing behind her. "Whatcha moping about?" she asks (knowing full well the answer.)

"Why did you do that, Yuffie?"

"Because." she purrs, one hand on the swell of her own breast. "I can think of far better places to waste those kisses."


	24. X is for Xenophobia

_X is for Xenophobia

* * *

_

He sighs, as the tailor sizes him up for yet another formal gown. This place, and the people in it (the place and the people he has sworn fealty, servitude and protection towards) are foreign to him. For a second, he yearns for the dark familiarity of his coffin.

But he forgets Yuffie Kisaragi- or, rather, the Queen of Wutai. She enters the room with authoritative grace, taking his hand and pressing warm kisses to it.

He realises that she is home, and thus, so is he. It may be foreign, but it will grow familiar. Just as she did.

* * *

A/N: Xenophobia is an uncontrollable fear of foreigners.


	25. Y is for Yuletide

_Y is for Yuletide

* * *

_

Christmas with AVALANCHE was always warm, but dangerous.

On a good year, the worst thing that happened was that Barret would camp on the roof, wondering what reindeer meat tasted of.

On a bad year, Yuffie and Cloud usually teamed up to convince a drunken Reeve that he was gay. Then took pictures.

Vincent's present differs.

On a bad year, he gets a sweater from Yuffie. On a good year, he and Yuffie get somewhat sweaty.

Every year, he fires one bullet to the sky for each Christmas he shares with them. It reminds him how very lucky he is.

* * *

A/N: I know it's July. The only reason why this is Christmas themed is because Y is the twenty-fifth letter of the alphabet, and Christmas is the twenty-fifth day of December.


	26. Z is for Zero

_Z is for Zero

* * *

_

He's waiting _tick tock _for the grains in his hourglass _tick tock_ to run out _tick tock tick tock._

And Yuffie keeps getting in the way. Every time he's about to go, she pours more sand in his hourglass. Gives him more obligations he must complete before he leaves.

He confronts her angrily. Why won't she let him _go_?

She smiles and cries at the same time. Her warm lips find his and she whispers, "This. This is why."

_Tick tock tick tock tick..._

And suddenly, the grains of sand stop falling. But he's not waiting. Not any more.


	27. is for Closing and Afterword

_! is for Closing and Afterword

* * *

_

Well, here it is, folks. This has been my first drabble collection (with _A is for Accusation_ being my first ever drabble). It's been a pleasure for me to write, but also a learning experience.

After a reviewer showed regret that this would be ending, I decided that I may well do another collection of a similar nature. I'm still working out details, but all I know is that I'm going to have each chapter in it be between 50 (_dribble_ length) and 500 words. If anyone has any prompts for it, send them my way!

On that note, thank you to all the people who took the time to review (or even just to read) these little things. With regards to wordcount, all these _are_ 100 words; the word-counter on is a little bit dodgy. (For example, it adds quite a few words when you put in a horizontal ruler.) Excluding title (invariably four words) and author's notes (of which I used as few as possible), they are all 100 words. (That is, of course, with hyphenation and everything to make it more confusing.)

My greatest thanks to anyone reading this, and I hope you've enjoyed the story.

* * *

A/N: On a side note, skipping the title and this AN, this chapter is exactly 200 words- known as a _drouble. _And, yes. I'm very much aware that no one cares.


End file.
